Orleans Parish : Behind bars, under water
Dylan
After 15 hours in a the tank I was moved to a holding cell. The building had been condemned before Katrina, but the storm wiped out the new facility so they went back to using the old one. My cell had 15 people and ten cots. There was no air conditioning. The outside windows were broken, allowing mosquitoes, rodents, and cockroaches to get inside. There was no access to medical attention. One of my cell mates had been constipated for one and one-half weeks and was not allowed to see a nurse or given any medicine. This problem is so common that inmates are fed piles of prunes every week to make them shit.
photo by Josh Lee
Monday morning I was transferred to a permanent cell in an outdoor tent. At this point I became stressed out, worrying that I’d been lost in the computer system. There was no way for me to find out. Guards don’t care, and the collect phones won’t actually allow outside parties to accept charges. I was isolated. It took a lot of energy to keep my head straight. Mostly I laid in bed meditating and talking to other people to remind myself that I was actually lucky. Most people I spoke with were in on bunk charges. One man was serving 63 days for spilling radiator fluid on the ground while changing his transmission. Another was on his third tour for the same warrant that he’d already done time for. It was never removed from the computer system, so every time the police stop him he gets arrested and must sit in prison until a judge can release him again.
Different areas of NOLA have different bullshit charges that police use when they feel like making an arrest. In the French Quarter drunkenness, disturbing the peace, or “obstructing a sidewalk” (read: walking) are most common. In the Lower Nine people often do time unfairly for trespassing and drug charges. If you are caught knocking on a friend’s door and they are not home to verify that they know you, welcome to jail. If someone near you is busted for possessing more than one piece of paraphernalia, it will be assumed one is yours.
Tuesday night I was finally taken to court, and after explaining my volunteer status to a judge and submitting a not guilty plea, was released with no bond. I go to trial in August. The drunk charge will be dropped, the other two will probably stick, as it is my word against an officer’s. The primary concern of the justice system seems to be making money, so I am fairly certain I can expect fines and not jail time.
Upside: I learned how to get a good upper body workout using only a towel and how to cook desert rolls using a plastic bag, white bread, snickers bars, and hot running water.
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